South Africa asks Taiwan to move its unofficial embassy out of the capital

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa has asked Taiwan to move its unofficial embassy out of the administrative capital, Pretoria, in a move that’s seen as appeasing ally China. The foreign ministry said Friday that it had given Taiwan six months to relocate the “liaison office” to the commercial hub of Johannesburg. The decision was announced last month by South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola on a trip to China, the ministry said. South Africa severed formal diplomatic ties with the self-governing island of Taiwan — over which China claims sovereignty — in 1997 but has an unofficial diplomatic relationship with it, as do many countries. The move comes during heightened tensions between China and Taiwan.